Educational Material – Page 10 – Nature Along the El Camino Real

Wolf Spider Identification Update

November 4, 2024November 4, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Eric Neubauer

[Note: our most popular article on this site is Wolf Spider Identification. This article provides a brief update, plus links to Eric Neubauer’s recent presentation at the 2024 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting.]

This material serves as an introduction to a new wolf spider species that is quite common in Texas and Oklahoma. It is also known in nine other states as far away as North Carolina. There is sufficient information to identify both juveniles and adults in the field as well as learn something about its life cycle. This is a departure from tradition in that a tremendous amount of information is made available to the public before publication in a scientific journal and formal acceptance of the species name.

Links to slides and explanatory text in lieu of a speaker follow:

Hogna_incognita_slides_103124 Download

Hogna_incognita_text_103124 Download

I hope the average amateur naturalist and even professional arachnologist will find this more user friendly than the typical scientific paper.

I’m now waiting to see if any adult females make it into November. There were some with babies out there just a week ago. They outlasted my last Argiope aurantia. Someone needs to compose an “End of the Season Blues.”

Not to worry, some other wolf spider species are nearing maturity including the other undescribed Hogna west of the Edwards Plateau and another unknown I saw three adult males of last winter. I don’t want to say it’s an undescribed species until I see some adult females and do a thorough search of the possibilities. Exciting times!

Hogna incognita postscript

There’s always more to know about a species. Based on last year’s observations, adult females last though October. As the class of 2024 dwindled, it looked like some might make it into November in parts of Texas and Oklahoma. I held my breath and went out with my headlamp on as soon as the sun set on November 1st. I found one fairly quickly in the stubble of the hay field out back. She was away from her burrow and I caught her easily.

About a third of her family had already dispersed. Another half dozen or so decided to go off on their own while I did the photography. I collected her and the spiderlings that had disembarked and released them on higher ground next to a crack in the soil for cover if they needed it, and just in case of heavy rain.

More on Eric’s Research

The November 2024 isue of Texas Coop Power magazine features an article on Eric and “his” spider: A Wolf Spider Misidentified for 120 Years Gets Its Due, by Sheryl Smith-Rodgers. Check it out!

A New Toy Wizard

October 15, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Ann Collins

I have a new toy! And my life has changed forever! Not sure if it’s for the better, but it lets me be totally lazy. My phone is my window on the world. Living on a downward slope almost to a deep gully, service here is sketchy, often not available at all. Anyway, my new toy is the Merlin phone app, which identifies birds by sound and records a list for me. I’m excited to see what the Wizard has found and I question frequently his ability.

*Is it Merlin the Magician or a Merlin bird, or both? (Thanks, AI)*

For instance, it has always been a bit of undeserved pride that I’ve never seen a house sparrow on my property. I still haven’t, but Merlin hears them every day or so. House sparrows can be a major pain if they camp out in large enough numbers. They really are considered invasive. They were brought over by some well-meaning moron who thought they would be a nice addition to our native birds. Ironically, in their native England they are becoming quite rare while they have become a real pest here. It’s never a good idea to introduce a plant or an animal you think is cool. Example: the Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

*I can’t believe Ann doesn’t want me pooping all over her birding area. Photo by Miriam Fischer on Pexels.com*

As I sit inside my cozy sunroom drinking hot, spicy tea on this deliciously cool early autumn morning,* Merlin is busily making a nice list for me. I take my phone out to the deck and conjure up the Wizard and he eagerly gets to work. I’m glad for that, because with encroaching old age many things don’t work like they did in my youth! For istance the high-pitched frequency of many bird sounds simply don’t register in my increasingly deaf ears. Merlin is a relatively new app, so his hearing hasn’t failed him yet – probably just a matter of time.**

*Example of Merlin’s observations (Walkers Creek, Texas, October 15, 2024)*

I wonder what Merlin’s range is? Are the birds he hears actually in my yard or can he hear the ones a mile away? Just up the driveway? Does that depend on my service or just how he’s programmed? Who knows? Guess I could ask him.

*Don’t ask me. I’m Merlin the Bird. Photo by Sethulakshmi Sajeev on Pexels.com*

It’s kind of hard for me to trust technology. I didn’t grow up with it like so many of the younger folks. When Merlin IDs a Blue Jay and the next bird is a Red-shouldered Hawk, my skeptical nature questions, was it really a hawl? Some of the calls of these two birds really sound alike. Blue Jays are pletiful here at Chimney Hill and I do have Red-shouldered Hawks regularly. The hawks might even breed here or at least close by.

*Blue Jay. Photo by Robert Jakubowski on Pexels.com*

House sparrows? Never seen one here. I can thank my lucky stars for that. They can be a real nuiscance. How about a Blue Grosbeak or a Dickcissel or an Indigo Bunting? I did have a number of them a few years back but haven’t seen them in quite a while. I don’t doubt the Merlin reports of Red-winged Blackbirds or the grackles (Common and Great-tailed). Large flocks are not uncommon, so the Red-winged Blackbirds could be traveling with them.

*Who knows what kind of birds are in this flock. Photo by Mehmet Suat Gunerli on Pexels.com*

In spite of my skepticism and questions I still love my new toy. It really gives a new dimension to my census and wildlife evaluation. I love it!

Thanks to my buddy Suna for programming the app for me!

*This was written during the September cool spell.

**Suna points out that Merlin often has trouble with low sounds like owls and doves.

Chasing Butterflies

October 1, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Carolyn Henderson

At just after noon on Saturday, I was standing on my patio when a Monarch butterfly flew by very close to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera to get a photo of it, but I probably wouldn’t have gotten it anyway. It flew straight by into my neighbor’s back yard. It did, however, inspire me to go chasing them.

I go to the Little River Basin Texas Master Gardeners Triangle Garden seasonally to take pictures of pollinators, and I usually see Monarchs, and many other types of butterflies, there. So I took my camera to see what I could see.

I found huge Giant Swallowtails eating from abundant Zinnias. The Fritillarys, both Gulf and Variegated, also were fond of the flowers. So was a Bold Jumping Spider that seemed to be after the Variegated Fritillary. I also found Gulf Fritillary on Tropical Sage. I am unsure if the Giant Swallowtails are Eastern or Western variety. iNaturalist thinks they are Western, but Eastern are more common here.

One of my favorite butterflies is Queens. They were abundant on Gregg’s Mist. I can always find them on this plant. They also were mating. I’ve seen more of them there, but it may be early in the migration. Bordered Patch and Fiery Skippers also were enjoying the Gregg’s Mist.
What is not there, at least yet, are Monarchs nor Pipevine Swallowtails. The Flame Acanthas and Tropical Sage and Gregg’s Mist are ready for them. So is the cat in residence (see photo).

I also found a few others at my house. My yard is inundated with Hackberry Emperors, and some Clouded Skippers are hanging out there. So are Carolina (or Arizona?) Praying Mantis and Spinybacked Orbweavers with an elaborate web, and grasshoppers that were abundant at the triangle garden, too. I also had a hummingbird that was interested in the Texas Purple Sage at my house.

The iNaturalist fall project to submit as many pollinators as you can find is coming up in October. If you are participating, you might want to try the El Camino Real Wildscape which is usually full of butterflies in October – including Monarchs. Or, you also can try the Triangle Garden.

Water Features Aren’t Difficult!

August 23, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall4 Comments

By Pamela Neeley

Around the farm, I have all kinds of lazy water features. Let’s take a look!

This one has a drip from the faucet keeping it full and the water moving. Even large birds, cardinals, come here for water.

Here’s another lazy water feature. The solar fountain keeps things moving. The plant is rooting in a convenient terracotta strawberry pot. Also there for fish “enrichment”
I put water hose into a pot when topping it off so the water movement doesn’t create mucky water. The fish are doing well and get fed pellets or mosquito larva from nearby sources.

Lazy water source is by the back door faucet. Shallow kitchen container with shard and pot in corner. When there is a fish, they have a place to hide under the shard. The pot provides extra climbing surface so the toads can get out when they find themselves in here. When mosquitos build up, I move a fish over here for a day. The faucet drips into the container when I’m watering around the house.

This large lazy water feature container is not set up right now. I have an electric ceramic fountain, usually 6-8 fish, and a water plant – this is an arrowhead. When set up it creates the pleasing sound of running water, but being under an oak tree presents problems with leaves.

The next lazy water feature is a plant container from a big box store. There’s a pottery shard for fish to hide under, and a pedestal for the water plant and solar fountain. This solar fountain has legs to keep it from hugging the wall and emptying the water on to the ground. I’ve lost one leg, so water escapes regularly.

One happy fish, pedestal for plant on pedestal – but too hot right now.

Fountains do need to have algae and minerals scrubbed off top to keep it accepting sun power.
It’s a very low tech, not too expensive way to have fountain, fish, and a water feature. Just use what you may already have. Solar fountains range from $12-15 on line.

And finally, here’s another low-cost water feature at night. There are two toads enjoying the water at 10:30 pm. One is partially on the solar fountain and partly on the rim of the submerged terracotta pot. He won’t drown.

Dog Days at the Wildscape

August 15, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Catherine Johnson

Kim and I were at the Wildscape from 7:0O PM- 8:00 PM to water plants and tidy up for the upcoming full moon event, Monday, August 19, at 6:30 PM.

*Sideoats Grama, the State Grass of Texas.*

For the most part Texas natives have held up amazingly well with minimal attention. In cooler weather, the garden will be groomed and new plantings put in. We noticed it felt cooler with a breeze blowing and decided to do no more weeding until the Dog Days of Summer are over.